Improvement in farm-gates



J. A. CHEATHAM.

Farm Gate.

mine-nea- 3 Patented Oct. 23, 1866.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN A. OHEATHAM, OF NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE.

IMPROVEMENT IN FARM-GATES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 58,983, dated October 23, 1866.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it. known that I, JOHN A. GHEATHAM, of the city of Nashville, county of Davidson, State of Tennessee, have invented a new and useful Improvement; in the Arrangements for Opening and Closing Gates for an lnclosure; and I declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, makinga part of this specification.

The gate with my improvements may be classed with self-opening gates. The great objections made to that class are, first, great cost; second, that the machinery used, being mostly under ground, is often put out of working order by the freezing and thawing of the ground.

The object of my invention is to permit the driver of any vehicle to open, pass through the gateway, and close the gate without the inconvenience or loss of time caused by having to dismount from his vehicle or horse, in the cheapest, most certain and effective manner.

To enable others to make and use my invention, I will describe the same with reference to the accompanying drawings, making a part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a top view, showing the gate and gate-posts, and also the posts on each side for holding the gate open. Fig. 2is an elevation of the gate and gate-posts when it is closed. Fig. 3 is an isometrical view of the gate when partly open. Fig. 4 is an isometrical view of the gate when it is held open by the catch. Fig. 5 is an enlarged front view of the cam, taken when the gate is closed, the dottedlines showing the spindle E and pin P, described below.

The gate is constructed in the usual manner, so as to swing freely both ways upon its hinges, fastened at one end, and when closed is held shut by the ordinary lifting-latch and catch at the other end.

Upon the bottom bar of the gate is fastened the piece 0, which has a vertical hole through its center, and the upper end of which is divided into two branches, each branch being made cam-shaped, so as to present four upwardly-inclined cam-surfaces, two on each side of the gate. Through the vertical hole in this piece passes the lower end of the vertical spindle E. Through the spindle E passes the pin P (orit may project from only one side) at right angles to the face of the gate when it is shut and the pin at rest; but during the operation of opening the gate thepin is raised up with the spindle E and turned almost parallel with the face of the gate, meeting with and sliding up the upper part of the cam-shaped surface of the piece 0; but as the gate is closing itself, the weight of the levers A A and the spindle E coming upon this pin P, it is forced down said cam-shaped surface of piece 0 to its resting-place in the notch at the junction of the two branches of said piece 0, giving a spiral motion to the spindle E, by means of which the two levers A A are turned to their proper position, at right angles to the gate.

Immediately below the latch of the gate is placed a disk, N, rigidly fastened to the spindle E, which serves to raise the latch as the spindle is raised to open the gate, and may be used to do the office of the disk L as below. Upon the spindle, above the top bar of the gate, is placed a similar disk, L, whose oilice is to disengage the catch which holds the gate open, which will be more fully described hereinafter.

The diagonal braces G G support the circular piece 1", which has a hole in its center, through which passes the spindle E. Above the circular piece F rests the piece B, to which the levers A A are attached in any convenient and firm manner. The piece B has a mortise through its center so fitted to a tenon on the upper end of spindle as to permit the piece to tilt freely up and down, and is held on by a pin through the tenon, or other device. It is this pin 0, (or other device hinged to the piece B,) acted upon by the piece B, that raises the spindle and the latch Q when one of the levers is depressed.

As an aid. making more easy the operation of passing through the gateway by means of my invention, but not necessary therefor, I have placed a post, M, on each side of the gate, at the required place, to which I have attached a latch, J, the catch or notch on the upper edge, and so pivoted to the post thatit may play freely a limited distance up and down. The end opposite the catch is made the heavier to keep the notched end ready to catch and hold the under edge of the top or other bar of the gate when the gate may be pushed against it.

livoted to and standing above the catch J is the trigger K, held vertical by means of a wide staple placed above the latch on the side of the post, through which the trigger moves up aml down freely in its operations. This trigger is placed in front of the pivot ot' the latch, and extends above the end of the post, so as to receive the descending disk L, which, bearing the trigger down, thereby unl'astens the hold of the latch J from the gate.

The wide staple which keeps the trigger K vertical is made wide enough to permit the trigger to be leaned so far backward that the disk L will not fall upon it when it may be. desirable to leave a gate standing open.

The levers A A may be elevated to any do siral height by lengthening the braces (l (l. A cord hanging from the outer end of each brings them within the reach of any one.

The operation of opening the gate may be thus described: The horses are halted close to the gate. The cord is reached, and the lever drawn down. The rim of the circular piece 1* being the fulcrum, and the spindle I), which controls the latch (3, being in the center of l, the lever A, which controls the spindle 1-1, thus raises the latch as it descends. The latch be ing raised, the lever becomes a push-pole, by means of which the gate is pushed open until caught by the latch behind it as the vehicle may be drawn forward. \Vhen the lever is first drawn down, the driver, by leaning for ward and extending the hand with the lever,

opens the gate from three to live, feet. That opening invites the horses forward. As soon as the gate is caught and held, and its light weight taken from the hand which holds the lever, it is only necessary that the driver shall keep the lever depressed and allow it to slip gradually through his lingers as he passes on. As soon as he shall have passed beyond its length, or may have freed it from his hand, the elevated end of the lever A falls by its own weight, carrying with it the spindle 1*] and the disk L. The disk L, falling on the top of the trigger K, detaches the hold of the catch upon the gate. Then, as the gate swings to by means of a vertical spring behind the hanging stile or any of the many selt'shutting hinges, the levers are turned back to their proper or first position by their weight acting on the pin 1 through the spindle E, and sliding it. down the spiral faces of the piece 0.

The latch, only resting upon the disk N, and

not fastened in any manner to it or the spindle, slides freely up the face of the catch as the gate is closed without hinderance from spindle or levers, and is used by footmen just as any common lift-latch is.

My invention is susceptible of an almost endless variety in the details of measurement; and forms of parts. l)itterentshaped springs placed in different positions, or even cords and weights, may be used to turn the levers to their proper positions. It only one branch otpieec 0 be used, or if the pin project from one side only of the spindle, the lovers may then turn entirely around.

The levers maybe placed high or low; made to incline upward or downward from their sockets or fastenings; may be placed at any point between the front and hanging stiles.

The latch maybe operated upon by many other devices than the simple disk I use, or many ditferent kinds of latches may be used by simple attachments to the spindle. The whole or any part of my invention may be made of metal. .Ilollers or washers may be added to relieve the friction, if any, where the latch rests upon the disk N, aml on that part of piece 1 which slides upon the rim of the piece 11 while one end of the lever is down and the gate is being opened. A light cover should be placed upon the piece B to protect it and the under pieces from rains and snows. The cam or piece also should be protected from snow and ice. A roller may be used on pin 1..

Notwithsanding the variations from the drawings that may be made in the details, 1 am satisfied that I produce the desired results in the easiest aml cheapest manner, aml that my invention, as described, covers the whole end sought for.

llaving thus fully described the nature and object of my invention, what I claim therein as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. The combination of the lever or levers A. A, with the vertical spindle E, controlling the gate, and its latch, with the cam-shaped piece 0, or its etplivalent, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. The combination of the lover or levers A A and the spindle E with the. upper disk, L, the trigger K, and latch J, substantially as and for the purpose described.

JOHN A. UllIGA'lTlliUW.

\Yitnesses:

J. Rtrssnm. liiusoss, LuoNAnn Kine. 

